White Panther

A flawed but gutsy Israeli film, filmmaker Danni Reisfeld's White Panther is ostensibly about boxing, but the sport here seems more to be used as a way to explore cultural, religious, and ideological conflict. Alex (Yevgeny Orlov) is a young Russian tough living in a downtrodden Slav enclave in Tel Aviv. Alex's brother Yevgeny (Zura Vulkan Kartvelishvily) is the ringleader of a ragtag gaggle of Russki skinheads who, when not busy terrorizing their Jewish neighbors, are drinking vodka and coming up with embarrassingly bad hip-hop routines. But Alex's life suddenly takes an unexpected turn when he's arrested for street brawling. Arresting officer David (Ze'ev Revach), a Moroccan Jew who also happens to train local boxers, sees talent in Alex and cuts him a deal—giving Alex his freedom for a chance to train toward becoming an amateur boxing champ. But when Alex eventually falls for David's attractive, headstrong daughter, Yasmin (Meytal Gal), the seemingly altruistic trainer starts to exhibit a few nasty prejudices of his own. Less Rocky than message movie with a universal plea for tolerance, this Best Picture nominee in Israel is recommended. (M. Sandlin)